The strands of Te Whāriki: Belonging
Ngā taumata whakahirahira ki Te Whāriki: Mana Whenua
Introduction - He kupu whakataki
When a child moves from a family to a classroom, when an immigrant moves from one culture to another, or when an employee moves from the ranks to a management position, learning involves more than appropriating new pieces of information. Learners must often deal with conflicting forms of individuality and competence as defined in different communities … I am suggesting that the maintenance of an identity across boundaries requires work and …[t]his work … is at the core of what it means to be a person.1
This book collects together early childhood exemplars that illustrate the assessment of learning that is valued within the curriculum strand of Belonging/Mana Whenua, keeping in mind that:
Exemplars are examples of assessments that make visible learning that is valued so that the learning community (children, families, whānau, teachers, and beyond) can foster ongoing and diverse learning pathways.2
Although these exemplars have been annotated with a Belonging/Mana Whenua lens, in many cases, the lens of another strand could have been used. The principle of Holistic Development or Kotahitanga set out in Te Whāriki is a reminder that the curriculum “strands” are a construction, and in any episode of a child’s learning, these areas are inextricably intertwined and interconnected.
Learning stories in PDF format
Unfortunately, because of publishing constraints, we are only able to provide the learning stories to you in PDF format.
You should be able to read PDF documents in your web browser. If you have any problems opening a PDF, a number of downloadable PDF readers are listed on Wikipedia or you can email web services for help.
A summary of the exemplars for The Strands of Te Whāriki: Belonging follows:
- Te Tuhi a Manawatere
- Tāwhirimatea
- Tyler's day at the office
- Jedd's increasing participation
- Suelisa's sense of belonging
- Farewell to a taonga
- The meeting
- Fergus and William take their folders outside
For more information, or to request a hard copy of this exemplar book, please email the ministry.